Who owns Bovada?
As of : US regulators name Harp Media B.V. / Hove Media as the companies behind Bovada. Harp Media B.V. is a Curaçao company, and who owns it is not public. Bovada holds no licence in any US state. Its site footer cites a licence from the Union of the Comoros, and several US states have sent it cease-and-desist letters.
| Ultimate owner | Harp Media B.V. / Hove Media (Bovada) (private (owners not public; the brand was launched in 2011 by Morris Mohawk Gaming Group, per press)) |
|---|---|
| Operating company | Harp Media B.V., Curaçao |
| Products | Sports betting, Casino, Poker |
| Website | bovada.lv |
| Sister casinos | 1 |
| Fines and actions | Bovada’s own company: 1 · whole Harp Media B.V. / Hove Media (Bovada) group: 1 |
| Owner proof | verified |
| Last checked | 20 Oct 2026 |
In numbers
- Harp Media B.V. / Hove Media (Bovada) owns 2 casino and betting brands in our data.
- 1 fine or regulator action against the owner since 2024.
Who is behind it
Michigan (May 2024), Louisiana (August 2024) and Tennessee name Harp Media B.V. as the operator of Bovada. In October 2024 the Massachusetts Attorney General wrote to Harp Media B.V. and Hove Media, calling them "collectively known as Bovada". A 2023 Kentucky court complaint gives Harp Media's Curaçao company number as 144943.
The brand is older than these letters. A 2011 Bodog press release says Morris Mohawk Gaming Group, based in Kahnawake, launched Bovada in December 2011 after running the US business under the Bodog name since 2006. The Kentucky class action named Morris Mohawk Gaming Group and Harp Media B.V. together; its claims are not proven. No public record shows who owns Harp Media today.
Licence and what it means for you
Bovada has no licence from any US state. That means state player-protection rules, such as state self-exclusion lists and state complaint routes, do not cover it. The bovada.lv footer (October 2026) only says the site is licensed by the Union of the Comoros and that its terms follow Anjouan law. Harp Media B.V. was not on the July 2026 register of the Curaçao Gaming Authority. Several US states treat the site as illegal gambling for their residents.
Sister sites
Our data lists 1 sister brand: JuicyPop Slots, a sweepstakes casino tied to the same group. That link is reported, not verified.
Bovada is often grouped with Ignition, Café Casino and Slots.lv, but that is not shared ownership. In 2016 Bovada sold its poker business to Lynton Limited, then the owner of Ignition. The poker business changed hands; Bovada itself did not. We keep Bovada apart from that network.
1 sister casino
Same owner often means the same terms, the same support team and the same payout rules. A self-exclusion at one brand may not cover its sister sites.
Does self-exclusion at Bovada cover its sister sites? · How national self-exclusion schemes work
Fines and regulator actions
Our data holds 1 action and no money fine. On 29 May 2024 the Michigan Gaming Control Board sent Harp Media B.V. a cease-and-desist letter for offering unlicensed gambling to Michigan residents through Bovada.com and Bovada.lv. The Board later said Bovada complied. Louisiana and Massachusetts also sent cease-and-desist orders, and Tennessee took action against the site. None of these was a fine.
All 1 fines and regulator actions, with sources
All 1 concern Bovada’s own company.
Fines from the 40 regulators, prosecutors and courts we track, online gambling only; fines against land-based casinos are out of scope. How we count fines.
| Date | Company | Regulator / court | Amount | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-29 | Harp Media B.V. (Bovada) | USA Michigan — MGCB | — | Cease-and-desist letter to Harp Media B.V. (Curaçao) as operator of Bovada.com and Bovada.lv for offering unlicensed online gambling to Michigan residents. The regulator later said Bovada complied. source |
About Harp Media B.V. / Hove Media (Bovada)
US-facing offshore sportsbook and casino group. Michigan, Louisiana and Tennessee name Harp Media B.V. (Curaçao, no. 144943) as the operator of Bovada, and the Massachusetts Attorney General wrote to Harp Media B.V. and Hove Media, "collectively known as Bovada". Bovada was launched in December 2011 by Kahnawake-based Morris Mohawk Gaming Group, which had run the US business under the Bodog brand since 2006 (Bodog press release, 2011). A 2023 Kentucky class action named Morris Mohawk Gaming Group together with Harp Media B.V. as defendants. No public record shows who owns Harp Media today. In 2016 Bovada sold its poker business to Lynton Limited, the then owner of Ignition (GGB), so Bovada is kept apart from the Ignition / Café Casino / Slots.lv network. Not licensed in any US state.
Headquarters: Curaçao · Ownership: private (owners not public; the brand was launched in 2011 by Morris Mohawk Gaming Group, per press)
How we know, and what we could not confirm
How we know: US-facing offshore sportsbook, casino and poker site. Michigan (May 2024), Louisiana (Aug 2024), Florida (2025, press) and Tennessee name Harp Media B.V. (Curaçao) as the operator; the Massachusetts Attorney General (Oct 2024) wrote to Harp Media B.V. and Hove Media, "collectively known as Bovada". The site footer (Oct 2026) only says it is licensed by the Union of the Comoros and its terms are governed by Anjouan law. The owners behind Harp Media are not public. Not licensed in any US state.
- The ultimate owner (the people or company at the top) is not published.
- We have no licence record for this site.
- We have no company registration number for Harp Media B.V..
Harp Media B.V. / Hove Media (Bovada) sister sites, fines and sources →
Ratings elsewhere
- Trustpilot: read the reviews there
Ratings from other websites, with their source. We do not copy their reviews, and they do not change our facts.
Questions and answers
Who owns Bovada?
US regulators name Harp Media B.V. (Curaçao) and Hove Media. Who owns those companies is not public.
Is Bovada licensed in the US?
No. It has no licence from any US state. Its footer cites a licence from the Union of the Comoros.
Is Bovada the same company as Ignition?
No. Bovada sold its poker business to Ignition's then owner in 2016, but our data shows no shared ownership.
Has Bovada been fined?
Our data has no fine. Michigan sent a cease-and-desist letter in May 2024, and the regulator later said Bovada complied.
Is Bovada legit?
We have no licence record for Bovada. Its owner is Harp Media B.V. / Hove Media (Bovada); who owns Harp Media B.V. / Hove Media (Bovada) is not published. Fines and regulator actions against Bovada’s own company: 1. Sister sites with the same owner: 1. Guide: How to check a casino. We do not rate sites. A licence from your country’s regulator is the main protection.
What are Bovada’s sister sites?
Bovada has 1 sister casino with the same owner, Harp Media B.V. / Hove Media (Bovada): JuicyPop Slots. Full list: all Harp Media B.V. / Hove Media (Bovada) sister sites.
Sources
- https://www.michigan.gov/mgcb/news/2024/05/30/mgcb-issues-cease-and-desist-letter-to-bovada
- https://www.mass.gov/news/attorney-generals-office-issues-cease-and-desist-letter-to-online-gambling-operator-for-illegal-offshore-casino-operation
- https://lgcb.dps.louisiana.gov/news/bovada-s-compliance-with-louisiana-gaming-control-board-s-cease-and-desist-order-marks-positive-step-for-consumer-protection
- https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-kyed-3_23-cv-00053/pdf/USCOURTS-kyed-3_23-cv-00053-0.pdf
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bodog-branded-entities-no-longer-available-to-us-citizens-135570078.html
- https://ggbmagazine.com/article/ignition-casino-buys-bovada-poker
- https://www.tn.gov/swac/about/tennessee-sports-wagering-council-newroom/2024/10/23/sports-wagering-council-takes-action-against-illegal-sportsbook.html
- https://gamingcontrol.spin-cdn.com/media/license_registry/20260729_20260729_ogl_license_registry.pdf
- https://www.bovada.lv/terms-of-service
Last checked 20 Oct 2026. Review text checked against our data on 21 Oct 2026. How we check facts. Gambling can be addictive. Help: BeGambleAware, GamStop, Gamblers Anonymous.
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